Escapement for automatic wiretying machine



Aug. 28, 1962 P. w. FAWCETT ESCAPEMENT FOR AUTOMATIC WIRE-TYING MACHINE3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Nov. 20, 1956 Wk Q s LF o I e 1I/VVE/VTOR PAUL W. FAWCETT {from ey Aug. 28, 1962 P. w. FAWCETTESCAPEMENT FOR AUTOMATIC WIRE-DYING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 OriginalFiled Nov. 20, 1956 lNl/E/VTOR PAUL W FA WCE'TT A ffarney Aug. 28, 1962P. w. FAWCETT ESQAPEMENT FOR AUTOMATIC WIRE-TYING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet5 Original Filed Nov. 20, 1956 uwnvron PAUL w. FAWCETT y 9 A from eyUnited States PatentO 3,051,077 ESCAPEMENT FOR AUTOMATIC WIRE- TYINGMACHINE Paul W. Fawcett, Western Springs, 11]., assignor to UnitedStates Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Originalapplication Nov. 20, 1956, Ser. No. 623,458, new

Patent No. 2,912,099, dated Nov. 10, 1959. Divided and this applicationAug. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 832,961

4 Claims. (Cl. 10026) This application, which is a division of mycopending application Serial No. 623,458, filed November 20, 1956, nowPatent No. 2,912,099, relates to machines for applying and securing wireties to bundles, boxes, bales or other packages, and especially tomachines for automatically performing the several operations involved,in rapid sequence.

In the operation of the general type of wire-tying machine shown inPatent No. 2,912,099, the supply wire, from which a tie is to be made,is fed around a guide track in the form of a loop, with the ends of thetie overlapped in the slot of a knotter pinion. Then, when a tie is tobe applied to a package, the package is placed within the track, thewire is pulled back to draw the tie tight around the package and is thenfinally tensioned. The overlapped ends of the tie are then twistedtogether by the knotter pinion and the tie is out free from the supplywire and ejected from the pinion.

More particularly, the improvements claimed herein relate to anescapement for receiving and holding the surplus length of wireinitially fed into the guide track which exceeds the length actuallyneeded to encircle the bundle when the tie is drawn tight around it.Other parts of the machine, such as the means for feeding the wirearound the guide track and subsequently pulling it therefrom in initialengagement with a package, the means for finally tensioning the tie, theknotter-pinion actuating mechanism and the guide track may be of anysuitable construction. These elements are not claimed herein and withthe exception of the wire feeding means are shown only diagrammatically.The Wire feeding means, which is fully described in Patent No.2,912,099, will be shown and described herein only to the extentnecessary for a clear understanding of the escapment of the presentinvention.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from thefollowing detailed description and explanation which refer to theaccompanying drawings illustrating the present preferred embodiment. Inthe drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation with portions broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a portion of FIGURE 1 to an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 3 is a partial section taken along the plane of line IIIIII ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a portion of FIGURE 2 showing parts in an alternateposition;

FIGURE 5 is a partial section taken along the plane of line V-V ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a partial section taken along the plane of line VI-VI ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 7 is a portion of FIGURE 6 with a part in alternate position; and

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 showing parts in alternateposition.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and, for the present to FIGURESl and 2, the principal working parts of the machine there shown aremounted on a plate 10 disposed vertically and secured to a supportingframe of structural members (not shown) at one side thereof. These partsinclude reversible means indicated generally at 11 for feeding in wire12, which may be round or flat, from an external supply coil and pullingit back; the escapment of the invention, designated generally byreference numeral 13, for holding the surplus wire, when it is pulledback by the wire feeding means; a tie-tensioning means 14; a knottermechanism 15; and a guide track 16. A left-hand guide chute 17 connectsthe tensioning means 14 to the knotter mechanism, and a right-hand guidechute 18 connects the knotter mechanism to the guide track 16. The usualtable or supporting plate overlies the knotter mechanism to hold bundlesor packages while the tie is being applied and secured therearound. Asalready pointed out, the novel features disclosed in detail and claimedherein are those forming parts of the escapement 13.

Wire 12, on entering the machine, passes first through a Wire-enddetector indicated generally at 19 (see FIG- URES 1, 2, and 4). The wireis threaded through an entry guide 23 in the wire-end detector 19. Whenthe trailing end of a coil of supply wire passes through the entryguide, or in case of a break in the wire, a switch (not shown) isoperated to stop the wire-driving means. The length of wire remaining inthe machine may then be easily pulled out by hand.

From the wire-end detector 19, the wire passes to a slidable guide-rollhousing 25 and around a sheave 26 enclosed therein (see FIGURES l, 2 and4). The housing comprises spaced plates 27 and 28 with suitable spacermeans therebetween (see FIGURE 5). Sheave 25 is journaled in a slidablebar 30 reciprocable in a slot 31 milled in the inner face of the plate10. Housing 25 is mounted on bar 30, reciprocable manually therewith, bymeans of a knob 32 on the shaft of sheave 26 which is exposed on theouter face of plate 27, from the working position shown in FIGURES 1 and2 to the threading position shown in FIGURE 4, to facilitate threadingof the wire 12.

Housing 25 is releasably held in the innermost or working position by alatch mechanism shown in FIGURE 5. This mechanism comprises a thumblever 35 pivoted at 36 on plate 27, biased by a spring 35a to theillustrated position. Lever 35 has a fork-and-pin connection 37 to alocking pin 38 reciprocable in a bushing 39 extending through plates 27and 28 and engaging the end of an adjustable stop plate 40 slidable in aslot in plate 10. Pin 38 is tapered at its inner end and will thereforebe forced outwardly against the pressure of spring 35a, by an abnormalforce on the housing 25 tending to retract it from the working position.Sheathing plates 41, 41a and a block 4112 (see FIGURES 1, 2 and 4)secured to plate 10 with spaces therebetween cooperate with theright-hand edge of plate 27 which is of S-shape structure, to define apassage confining the wire when it is pulled back to tighten around thepackage.

The wire-driving means includes a sheave 44 mounted on a shaft 44ajournaled in a gear housing (not shown) secured to plate 10. The axis ofsheave 26 is vertically aligned with that of sheave 44- when housing 25is in working position. In such position, the edge of plate 27 overlapsa portion of the periphery of sheave 44 as shown in FIGURES l and 2.Shaft 44a is directly connected to a reversible hydraulic motor (notshown).

A driven pinch roll 51 is mounted above sheave 44 and is adapted tocooperate therewith. Sheave 44 and pinch roll 51 normally exertsuflicient friction on wire 12 inserted therebetween to feed it forwardor retract it on operation of the reversible hydraulic motor in onedirection or the other. A guide tube directs the advancing wire drivenby the wire feeding means through the tensioning means 14 whence it isguided into the left-hand guide chute 17.

With the exception of the escapement of the invention,

3 the structure thus far described is not claimed as part of the presentinvention but is included herein to facilitate understanding of theescapement of the invention.

The escapernent 13 functions to receive and temporarily store the loopof surplus wire formed When sheave 44 is driven to pull the wire out ofthe guide track 16. Sheathing plates 41 and 41a are secured to plate 10with spacer strips 72 therebetween, defining a shallow pocket 73 of awidth equal to the axial width of sheave 26, adapted to receive the wireloop indicated at 12a. The surplus wire is ejected from between sheaves26 and 44 into the pocket 73 along the upper edge thereof. A strip 74 ofspring steel overlies plate 41 and is slotted upwardly from its loweredge to form a plurality of spring fingers 75. Fingers 75 have theirlower ends bent to form tongues 76 entering the space between theadjacent edges of plates 41 and 41a. The sides of the tongues 76 arebeveled as at 78 whereby the tongues are successively displaced as theloop 12a lengthens (see FIGURE 8). The tongues prevent the upper run ofthe horizontally extending loop from sagging excessively yet permit thesurplus to be freely pulled out of the pocket on the next tie-feedingoperation before additional wire is drawn from the supply coil.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the invention provides anescapement for a wire-tying machine having important advantages. Thepocket of escapement 13 for receiving the surplus length of wire isalways open and the loop extends itself readily thereinto on reversal ofthe driving sheave. The upper run of the loop is always held suspendedby the spring fingers 75 so as to prevent tangling or kinking when theloop is pulled out to form the next tie.

Although I have disclosed herein the preferred practice and embodimentof my invention, I intend to cover as well any change or modificationtherein which may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

I claim:

1. In an automatic wire-tying machine designed and adapted to draw wirefrom a source of supply, feed the wire around a guide track in the formof a loop with the ends of the loop overlapped in a knotter pinion, drawthe wire tight around a package disposed in the guide track by pullingback on the wire and retracting it from the guide track, twist theoverlapped ends of the loop together by rotating the knotter pinion, andthen cut the twisted knot free from the supply wire, the improvementtherewith of a receptacle for receiving said Wire loop when it isretracted from the guide track to draw the wire tight around thepackage, said receptacle comprising a generally vertical supportingplate, a pair of horizontally elongated confining plates disposedside-by-side in spaced parallel relation to said plate by means adjacenttheir edges remote from each other, the adjacent edges of said confiningplates being spaced apart defining a slot therebetween, and a series ofyieldable fingers mounted on one of said confining plates and extendingthrough said slot toward said supporting plate, said fingers being ofsuch a configuration that they may be successively displaced by saidloop pushed into the space between the supporting plate and confiningplates and repositioned thereafter to support the upper run of saidloop.

2. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein said fingers are formed froma strip of spring metal overlying one of said confining plates and theedge of said strip of metal nearest the adjacent edges of said confiningplates having spaced slots formed therein.

3. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein said fingers are each formedof flat spring metal with their ends bent over and entering said slot.

4. Apparatus as defined by claim 3 in which the sides of said bent-overends are beveled.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS623,701 Brisselet Apr. 25, 1899 2,532,162 Goss Nov. 28, 1950 2,864,303Brown et al Dec. 16, 1958 new

